GS25 September Hangawi Lunch Box Review [Korean Food]

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Chuseok, Korea’s autumn harvest holiday, is also known as Hangawi, and GS25’s Lunch Box of the Month for September celebrates it with the September Hangawi Lunch Box. Back in August, GS25 also released a many-side box under its value-packed “Hyeja” lineup. This time, for the Chuseok holiday, it has refreshed its existing many-side box as a seasonal special. The lineup isn’t very different from previous editions. Put another way, though, the generous portions and variety are mostly intact. A few dishes have changed, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Let’s take a look.

Table of Contents

📋 At a Glance

Product: Lunch Box of the Month, September Hangawi Edition
Store: GS25
Price: 6,900 won
Calories: 970 kcal
Weight: 534 g
Sodium: 89% of the daily recommended intake
Main components: tteokgalbi, gochujang dakgalbi, japchae, dakgangjeong, a fried item (probably rice cake), five-color jeon, corn jeon, rolled omelet, gondre rice, black rice with ginkgo nuts, kimchi fried rice + 2 songpyeon for dessert (nine-compartment holiday set)
Cooking: 2 minutes 30 seconds in a 1,000 W microwave, lid on is fine (take the songpyeon out first)
Verdict: ★4.0 — a few small downgrades, but still a generous, tasty nine-compartment holiday feast.

September Hangawi Lunch Box: Price and Highlights

The Lunch Box of the Month series launches a new menu each month around that month’s special occasion, and this time it’s (of course?) a Hangawi special. It takes the same form as the nine-compartment holiday feast boxes GS25 has released for every major holiday, including February’s Lunar New Year edition and earlier ones. This one costs 6,900 won.

Full view of the GS25 full-table lunch box

A lunch box with a wide variety of sides

Since a few dishes have changed, let’s check the nutrition info. The box weighs 534 g in total with 970 kcal, which is fairly high for the price. Sodium is also quite high compared with a typical lunch box, at 89%. Given the large portion, though, that sodium level is somewhat understandable. It cooks for 2 minutes 30 seconds in a 1,000 W microwave, and you can leave the lid on.

Lunch box with namul, jinmichae, and stir-fried kimchi

What’s in the Nine Compartments

Let’s go through the lineup. The nine-compartment feast concept is unchanged, so the menu doesn’t feel very different at first. Look closely, though, and even the layout (?!) seems a little different from the February Lunar New Year edition.

Lunch box with spicy pork, dakgalbi, and fried chicken

Compartment by Compartment

The top row holds two songpyeon, three kinds of jeon (savory pancakes), and tteokgalbi. Instead of the mochi rice cake they used to include, this time you get two songpyeon, the half-moon rice cakes eaten at Chuseok, for dessert. Ha. Apparently the songpyeon should be taken out and not microwaved with the rest.

Introducing a steady-selling holiday lunch box

The second row has gochujang dakgalbi, japchae, a mystery fried item, and dakgangjeong. The third row is made up of gondre (thistle greens) rice, black rice with ginkgo nuts, and kimchi fried rice. Until the previous edition, the rice was staggered across the box. This time, it’s grouped together on one side. Ha.

A lunch box that feels like a holiday table spread

The mains here are probably the tteokgalbi and the gochujang dakgalbi. The meat seems to rotate with each release, switching between soy-marinated beef bulgogi, pork bulgogi, dakgalbi, and so on. I’m a little curious how this one tastes.

Rice with processed-meat toppings in the lunch box

A consumer review of the holiday lunch box

Taste Test: How Does the Holiday Spread Eat?

Let’s dig in. Compared with February’s box, the jeon lineup, dessert, dakgangjeong, and meat dish have changed. Still, my favorite, the tteokgalbi, is still here, so I had quiet hopes. GS25’s hamburg steak and tteokgalbi are surprisingly decent, after all. Ha.

Review of a lunch box for a solo holiday

Tteokgalbi, as Good as Ever

I started with a piece of the tteokgalbi, the heart of this box. The quality was almost exactly the same as before. It cuts easily even with chopsticks, and there seems to be a fair bit of fat inside, because after microwaving it was nice and juicy. The sauce hasn’t changed much either, with a familiar soy-based marinade. Ha. Even first-timers should find it quietly tasty.

Features of a lunch box of holiday dishes

Dakgangjeong, Gochujang Dakgalbi, and Japchae

The dakgangjeong replaced the seasoned fried dumplings from the last edition. It’s surely frozen, so I didn’t expect much. Even so, it was fairly crispy with a savory glaze, and not bad at all. As for this mystery fried item, I think it was rice cake. Honestly, I still couldn’t tell after eating it. Ha. It was chewy, so I’m choosing to believe it was rice cake.

A lunch box with an overwhelming number of sides

A convenience store lunch box with a holiday lineup

This edition’s dakgalbi was fairly thick, and the spicy marinade kept me reaching for rice the whole time. The japchae, which used to feel a bit dry, seems to have more oil this time. It was moist and pleasantly soft.

The holiday lunch box market for people spending Chuseok alone

The Jeon and Three Kinds of Rice

I thought there were three kinds of jeon… but this time they included five-color jeon, rolled omelet, and corn jeon. So in reality, there are only two kinds of jeon. Previously there was a kimchi or vegetable jeon, but it seems they dropped one jeon and added the rolled omelet. The taste was so-so.

The rice was mostly the same. Previously, one rice sat at the top and two at the bottom, alternating across the box. This time they’re grouped on one side, which made it a little easier to eat. Still, it’s slightly awkward with chopsticks alone, so a spoon will make things more comfortable.

Final thoughts on the holiday full-table lunch box

Final Verdict: Still a Generous Hangawi Lunch Box

Compared with the previous edition, it mostly holds the same level overall. Look closely, though, and there are a few quiet downgrades. One jeon was swapped for rolled omelet, and the seasoned fried dumplings gave way to easier-to-prepare dakgangjeong. Setting those small details aside, it’s still a generous and tasty box. If you’re in Korea over Chuseok, it’s also an easy way to sample a spread of classic holiday dishes, songpyeon included.

Lunch box with assorted jeon and japchae

Finally, I had the songpyeon for dessert. It’s basically like kkultteok (honey rice cake), just without the honey, and only lightly sweet. With two of them, it feels worth eating. It held up well against the mochi rice cake that used to come in the box.

Features of the holiday full-table lunch box

For launch details on this nine-compartment holiday box, two songpyeon included, see the (Korean source) Newspim report on GS25’s Chuseok lunch boxes and ready meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much is the GS25 September Hangawi Lunch Box?

It costs 6,900 won for 534 g and 970 kcal, which is quite calorie-dense for the price. Sodium comes to 89% of the daily recommended intake.

Q. What is songpyeon, and how do I heat the box?

Songpyeon are the half-moon rice cakes eaten at Chuseok, and this box includes two for dessert. Take them out first, then microwave the box for 2 minutes 30 seconds at 1,000 W; leaving the lid on is fine.

Q. What changed from the February Lunar New Year edition?

The jeon lineup, dessert, dakgangjeong, and meat dish are different. A rolled omelet replaces one jeon, dakgangjeong replaces the seasoned fried dumplings, and two songpyeon replace the mochi. The meat this time is gochujang dakgalbi, and the three rices now sit together on one side.

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